- New digital check means people will do convenient and easy
tests at home – making patients’ lives easier while reducing
pressure on GP surgeries
- Those invited urged to take part in the trial which will
inform the design and development of the digital check
A landmark trial aiming to make it easier and more convenient for
patients to carry out important health checks and reduce pressure
on GPs has been launched in Cornwall.
The trial – which is the first of its kind in England and part of
the government’s plans to digitalise the existing NHS Health
Check – will see patients complete an online questionnaire, use a
kit to take a blood sample at home, and complete a blood pressure
check at their local pharmacy or in their GP’s waiting room.
It will apply some of the lessons learned during Covid when
people got used to doing tests at home and getting their results
online.
The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England
aged 40 to 74. It’s designed to prevent stroke, kidney disease,
heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of dementia. A
total of 15 million people are eligible for free NHS Health
Checks in England.
They are currently delivered through face-to-face appointments
with GPs, but many parts of the check can be done without a GP,
which means freeing up more time for clinicians. Patients also
have to take time out of their day to go to the appointment,
often at an inconvenience to them, with the new trial aiming to
free up time for more urgent GP appointments.
More than 2,000 people from three GP surgeries across Cornwall
are being invited to take part in the trial - only those whose
results indicate an underlying health condition will be
followed-up by their GP.
The results of the trial will help inform the design and
development of the new national NHS Digital Health Check.
Minister for Public Health Neil O’Brien said:
Innovation is key to a modern, forward looking National Health
Service, and this trial will help us understand what a new
digital NHS Health Check could look like in the years to come.
The health check is crucial in preventing and identifying
potentially life-threatening conditions, and this digital version
will do just that while making patients’ lives easier and
reducing pressure on frontline services.
During the pandemic people got used to doing tests at home and
getting their results online, so this trial is an opportunity for
us to apply some of the lessons we learnt during Covid and
improve the way we deliver healthcare.
I urge everyone invited to take part in the trial so we can get
the best possible data as we look to roll out a national digital
check.
The checks have the potential to:
- prevent 1,600 heart attacks and strokes
- prevent 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes
- detect 20,000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease each year
- avoid at least 650 premature deaths a year
Dr Andy Sant, managing director of NHS Cornwall’s North and East
Integrated Care Area said:
Much has been achieved in our county around digital inclusion,
and the preventative value of health checks is already proven. So
we are delighted that patients in Cornwall are being given the
first opportunity to access a digital version through this
innovative trial. Amid such sustained pressure upon general
practice, this is a welcome and logical progression.
The associated benefits are wide-reaching, from the convenience
and savings for patients, to the positive impact on GP
appointments. I hope that everyone who is invited will take up
this offer. As well as the personal benefits, they will be
helping to inform future advances at national scale.
The offer of NHS Health Checks has been historically lower in
Cornwall than most local authorities in England. During 2019-20
over 13,400 checks were offered and over 6,900 were completed,
but in 2021-22 approximately 4,300 were offered and just over
1,900 were completed.
Cllr Dr Andy Virr, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Public Health
at Cornwall Council, said:
It is great news that this important trial involving innovative
use of technology is being carried out in Cornwall and I would
encourage all those invited to take part to do so.
We know there are avoidable differences in people’s health across
our communities and cardiovascular disease still has a big impact
on people in Cornwall.
So by making health checks like this easier to access and more
convenient we can hopefully prevent more serious illnesses and
identify people who may be at risk of stroke or heart attack
earlier.
